


Everyday Situation

by Tarlan



Category: Eureka
Genre: Community: trope_bingo, Humor, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-08 11:59:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/761076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack should have entered the lab with more caution. After all, this was Eureka, and this was Fargo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everyday Situation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Trope_Bingo prompt: handcuffed/bound together

_This is embarrassing on so many levels_ , Jack thought as he sat with his back against the laboratory bench on the cold, tiled floor. It was bad enough that he'd walked into a situation unprepared, not expecting any need to defend himself within Fargo's lab, but now he was bound with his own handcuffs... to Nathan Stark.

"Well done, Sheriff," Stark murmured. "Now he has two hostages."

"Oh... Shut up."

How was Jack supposed to know that Fargo's latest experiment had blown up in his face - literally - and turned the usually mild-mannered brainiac into a paranoid maniac? It's not as if he could have figured it out from the phone call as Fargo always sounded paranoid, as if hiding some guilty secret. Though Fargo's screw-ups had to account for a high percentage of Jack's problems with Global in one way or another, so maybe he should have entered with a little more caution. After all, this was Eureka, and this was Fargo; almost an everyday situation.

When he entered the lab, he hadn't seen Stark seated on the floor as he was hidden behind the waist-high bench, and by the time Jack noticed something more 'off' than usual, Fargo had sprayed something into his face. He hadn't even had a chance to draw his gun. By the time he had regained his senses, he was already in this ignoble position, cuffed to Stark.

At least Stark's body pressed up against him was warm in the otherwise cold laboratory.

"And why is it so cold in here?" Jack asked quietly, seeing his breath plume in the frigid air.

Fargo had Jack's gun now, and he was waving it about as he stalked up and down the laboratory, ranting under his breath about... something... but he turned and pointed the gun at Jack.

"What did you say to him? You're plotting against me. Planning to hurt me, aren't you?"

"What? No! I said I'm cold, Fargo. I didn't exactly dress for Alaska when I stepped in here."

"It's the uniform," Fargo mumbled to himself, eyeing Jack suspiciously. "Paid enforcer for the Global Elite, oppressors...." His voice rose as he waved the gun at Jack. "Take it off."

"What?"

"The uniform."

"You must be..." Jack paused. "Fargo, it's got to be close to freezing in here!"

The gun stopped wavering as Fargo fixed his eyes hard on Jack. "I don't want to shoot you, Sher... Carter. Take off the uniform."

"Perhaps you should do what the insane man says, Carter," Stark murmured out of the side of his mouth.

"Oh... crap."

His cold fingers struggled with the shirt buttons and he shuddered as he pulled out one arm and left the rest dangled over his and Starks's cuffed hands, leaving him in just his brown undershirt.

"All of it," Fargo demanded.

Jack gave a despairing look towards both Stark and Fargo before struggling to toe off his shoes and take off his uniform pants, he dragged on Stark's arm once or twice, getting a sharp tug of annoyance back in return. Down to his boxers, socks and undershirt, Jack gave up all pretense of animosity towards Stark and pressed closer to him for what little warmth bled through from the other man's body.

"ALL OF IT!" Fargo shouted, face screwing up in anger.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding!"

But the unmistakable sound of the gun priming to fire and the insane glint in Fargo's eyes made Jack swallow hard. One-handed, he tugged his brown undershirt over his head, letting that fall down his right arm to pile onto the uniform shirt that covered his and Stark's hands. He could feel goose bumps rising all over and he started trembling with the cold.

"That's better," Fargo stated in an almost normal, reasonable tone. "That's so much better." He started pacing back and forth again.

"Better for who?" Jack murmured bitterly.

"Whom."

Jack glared at Stark because now wasn't exactly a good time for grammar lessons. As Fargo continued to pace, muttering about experimentation, elitism... Global warming? Jack tensed as Stark half-turned and began tugging on Jack with his free hand, pulling him against his chest and wrapping his free arm around Jack.

"Save the freak out for when you're not freezing to death, Carter."

Stark managed to drag Jack over his left leg, leaving Jack trapped almost in Stark's lap with his cuffed arm awkwardly curved around his own back along with Stark's left arm, and his face plastered against the side of Stark's neck. He was surprised by the subtle and probably expensive cologne worn by a man who didn't need to shave daily. Stark's warmth partially wrapped around him along with the panels of his suit jacket, eased some of the chill from Jack's body and he found himself relaxing as the seconds stretched to minutes.

The fact that it was Nathan Stark should have mortified him, but instead it fed into a fantasy that he had thought long discarded after all the petty rivalry and insults over the past three years. It brought him back to that day when SARAH went all BRAD on them. Hug or Die, except he'd been caught in the partition with Allison. Watching Stark wrap his arms around Henry had left Jack wondering what it would have felt like had they had been trapped together instead.

It was a stupid fantasy, but now he had an answer.

It felt good.

He had forgotten how good it felt to be wrapped in another man's arms, to feel the rise and fall of a firm chest, and hear the beat of a steady, strong heart. He squirmed a little when he felt the slow burn of arousal awaken his body almost against his will.

"You okay, Carter?"

Jack felt the rumble of Stark's voice but found his own words dry up, so he nodded against Stark's throat, hoping Stark hadn't noticed the way Jack's body had reacted to his closeness. It had been far too long since he'd held anyone other than Zoe this close, and Jack needed to force his thoughts away from the pleasure of being held before his body totally betrayed him to Stark.

He knew he should be trying to reason with Fargo, just as he had tried all those years back when the Paranoia experiment had backfired and affected Spencer's movie night. He was tired though, and warm. The scent of Stark's cologne and clean skin was almost intoxicating, and he breathed it in deeper as his eyelids grew heavier. In some distant part of his mind, he could feel Stark's arms loosening their tight hold on him and he snuggled deeper into the warmth as Stark's head lolled against his, knowing it was a bad idea but unable to stop himself.

A distant thump almost drew him back from the edge of sleep but he was too tired... too warm... too safe.

****

"Aww! Don't they look cute together," Jo exclaimed but Jack could hear the mirth in her tone and wondered who she was talking about.

"Like Babes in the Woods," came Henry's voice. And what was Henry doing in his bedroom? Or Jo for that matter?

"Well, those babes are freezing so help me..."

Was that Allison?

Jack felt the weight of a blanket draped over his back, and the heat of a small hand at his wrist, unlocking the handcuffs. Instead of dropping his arm away, Stark wrapped it more firmly around Jack while Jack wormed his arm around Stark's waist so he could snuggle even deeper into the comfort of the body beneath him. He heard a chuckle from Henry.

"They should be coming round any time now, so let's go deal with our other sleeping babe first," Allison stated with amusement tinging her voice.

"In case Fargo's still bonkers," Taggart added in his usual blunt way.

Jack whined in protest as his warm pillow began to move beneath him; a hand shook his shoulder.

"Come on, guys. Time to wake up."

"Five more minutes, Jo," he murmured, and burrowed into the warm body.

"Allison?"

That was Stark's voice, and the vibration of that single word broke the spell that was holding Jack cocooned. The memory resurfaced of Fargo holding them at gun point, and handcuffing them together... and making him strip down to his boxers and socks. This wasn't his super comfy bed back at the bunker, it was Nathan Stark. He forced open his eyes and focused on the small group hovering over him, pulling away as Stark tensed and began pushing at him.

"This is so not my fault," he stated for the record as everyone stopped trying to hold back their amusement.

Still groggy and uncoordinated from whatever gas Henry had pumped into the room to subdue Fargo, he eventually had to accept Henry's help in dressing. Jack kept his eyes averted from Stark, not wanting to find even more ridicule coming from his critical eye, and stalked away, cursing when he misjudged and bounced off the door frame.

"Come on, Jack. I'll drive you home."

Jo was remarkably restrained in the drive to the bunker but as they drew up outside, he sighed and glanced at her.

"Let it out before you burst."

The crack of a laugh still took him by surprise, and he gave a good-natured shake of his head, smiling as Jo creased up in laughter. He could tell she was still laughing as she drove away.

Entering the bunker, he dropped his gun belt on the kitchen counter top.

"Beer me, SARAH."

Two beers and one hot shower later, Jack lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling, wishing he was still snuggled into Nathan's warmth.

****

Jack should have known that wouldn't be the end of it. The quick glances and whispers behind hands as he walked from the Sheriff's Office to Café Diem gave him some forewarning, but he still faltered on the threshold before resolutely taking another step forward. On the bare wall opposite was a 3D holographic image of him and Stark snuggled together, tightly wrapped around each other.

Vince grinned and handed over a large Vinspresso and a very large muffin.

"On the house, Sheriff."

Jack didn't bother to argue as he figured Vince owed him that much for the entertainment Jack had given Vince and his customers that morning. Jack had a feeling Stark hadn't seen this yet, or he would have insisted on it being taken down. He opened his mouth to ask Vince to shut off the projection only to then spot the back of Stark's dark curly head in the booth further along. Bemused, especially as Stark seemed to have taken a ringside seat to their embarrassing display, he ambled along and slid into the empty bench seat opposite.

Jack was actually an observant guy despite what others thought, and he saw the slight flush tinge Stark's cheeks.

"Sheriff."

"Stark." Jack sipped at his coffee. "Enjoying the view," he asked nonchalantly as he set down the coffee and began to pick at the muffin.

Stark eyed him intently. "Need to ask you... Sheriff." He kept his voice low. "Are you a kinky bastard who gets turned on by handcuffs... or just me?"

Stark had timed it purposefully, and Jack spluttered as he inhaled his coffee, coughing even as he tried to glare across the table at Stark. Before he could regain enough breath to throw back a comment, Stark continued.

"But if it was the handcuffs then that would have come out in the psych evaluations, which just leaves...." He trailed off, eyebrows raising.

"Don't flatter yourself, Stark." Jack coughed. "Any warm body would have done it. Even Taggart."

"Taggart?" Stark gave one of those half smiles that Jack had learned to hate over the years, knowing it never boded well for him. "Hmm. I'm sure I could persuade Taggart to test out that... theory."

"You wouldn't..."

The half smile grew at the dismay that Jack couldn't hide because Stark was just mean enough to call Jack's bluff. Sitting rigid with both fear and anger, he tensed as Stark rose but leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"If you hadn't been so caught up worrying about your reaction, you might have noticed I was just as hard for you. Your move." 

Stark began to walk away, leaving Jack stunned by the revelation. He looked up and saw Stark - Nathan - pause at the cafe's entrance and look back, seeing that half-smile still hovering. Abandoning his coffee and half eaten muffin, Jack went after him, and for once he decided not to over-think as he reeled Nathan in and kissed him soundly.

He didn't notice the stunned silence from everyone in the café, only the whoops and claps that followed moments later... and the way Nathan's lips curved into a grin beneath his kiss as he pulled Jack closer.

END


End file.
